Day: September 27, 2025

Introduction: “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

“A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay first appeared in his 2015 collection Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, a book suffused with what Harold Bloom might call the “agony of affirmation,” where mourning does not annihilate but instead enlarges the imaginative space of life. The poem begins with the factual recollection that Eric Garner, whose death at the hands of police officers in 2014 became a symbol of state violence, once worked in horticulture. From this detail, Gay unfolds a meditation in which the image of Garner’s “very large hands” planting life becomes an emblem of creation opposed to the brutal erasure of breath. The repetition of “perhaps” and “in all likelihood” insists on the tentative yet inexhaustible nature of this remembrance, enacting what Bloom would recognize as the anxiety of survival—how art must wrestle to preserve meaning in the face of historical catastrophe. The plants Garner may have tended, still growing, shelter “small and necessary creatures” and continue “making it easier for us to breathe,” thus transfiguring Garner from victim into nurturer, his legacy intertwined with the natural cycle of sustenance. In Bloom’s terms, Gay performs a “strong misreading” of death itself, turning the fact of Garner’s suffocation into an ironic and life-giving metaphor, affirming breath where breath was stolen. The poem, therefore, inhabits that difficult Bloomian territory where elegy becomes not mere lamentation but an assertion of imaginative continuity, a testimony that the dead remain needful, still participating in our breathing.

Text: “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.
Horticultural Department, which means,
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants which, most likely,
some of them, in all likelihood,
continue to grow, continue
to do what such plants do, like house
and feed small and necessary creatures,
like being pleasant to touch and smell,
like converting sunlight
into food, like making it easier
for us to breathe.

Annotations: “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Line	Annotation (Simple & Detailed)	Literary Devices
“Is that Eric Garner worked”	The poem begins by grounding itself in fact: Eric Garner once had a job. It immediately personalizes him beyond the tragic circumstances of his death.	Allusion (to Eric Garner), Direct statement, Irony (introducing life in contrast to death).
“for some time for the Parks and Rec.”	Specifies his workplace: the Parks and Recreation Department. This roots him in community service, showing he was part of the civic and natural world.	Specificity of detail, Imagery (institutional/community role).
“Horticultural Department, which means,”	Clarifies his exact role: horticulture, plant care. The phrase “which means” sets up a cause-and-effect chain of gentle associations.	Cause-and-effect logic, Foreshadowing.
“perhaps, that with his very large hands,”	Suggests, with uncertainty, that Garner used his “large hands” for nurturing. The size of his hands contrasts with the gentleness implied.	Contrast, Synecdoche (hands representing labor and care), Imagery.
“perhaps, in all likelihood,”	Repetition of uncertainty softens the claim, while also emphasizing probability. It builds rhythm and reflective tone.	Repetition, Rhythm, Hesitation device (qualifier language).
“he put gently into the earth”	Highlights the act of planting. The adverb “gently” humanizes Garner, showing tenderness instead of violence.	Imagery (touch, action), Adverbial emphasis, Irony (contrast with his violent death).
“some plants which, most likely,”	Suggests that Garner’s work left something living behind—plants continuing beyond his life.	Metonymy (plants representing life), Continuity of existence.
“some of them, in all likelihood,”	Repetition of probability—acknowledges uncertainty, but still insists on possibility of life growing from his touch.	Anaphora (repeated phrasing), Repetition for emphasis.
“continue to grow, continue”	Plants continue their natural process of growth, symbolizing resilience and ongoing life beyond death.	Repetition, Symbolism (plants as ongoing life, hope).
“to do what such plants do, like house”	Plants serve their ordinary functions, providing habitat. This everyday miracle is emphasized.	Personification (plants “do”), Everyday imagery.
“and feed small and necessary creatures,”	Plants nourish life, including small creatures. Suggests interconnectedness of all beings, including Garner’s role in sustaining them.	Imagery, Alliteration (“feed…small”), Symbolism (sustenance, ecosystem).
“like being pleasant to touch and smell,”	Highlights sensory pleasure plants provide. Moves beyond necessity to beauty and comfort.	Sensory imagery (touch, smell), Tone of tenderness.
“like converting sunlight”	Introduces the scientific miracle of photosynthesis. Plants’ natural process is made quietly profound.	Scientific imagery, Metaphor of transformation.
“into food, like making it easier”	Reinforces usefulness of plants: turning sunlight into nourishment. Practical benefit for humans and animals.	Imagery, Metaphor of sustenance.
“for us to breathe.”	Closes with oxygen, the most essential gift of plants. Suggests that Garner’s work helped everyone breathe—tragically ironic given his last words: “I can’t breathe.”	Irony, Allusion (to Garner’s final words), Symbolism (breath as life), Closure.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Device	Example	Explanation
Allusion 📖🌍	Eric Garner (the man referenced)	The poem recalls Garner, a victim of police violence, grounding the piece in historical and social context.
Anaphora 🔁	“perhaps… perhaps… in all likelihood”	Repeated phrases create rhythm and a contemplative tone, stressing uncertainty yet insistence.
Contrast ⚖️	“very large hands” vs. “gently into the earth”	Opposites emphasize Garner’s tenderness despite physical strength, countering stereotypes of Black men as threatening.
Cause-and-Effect Logic 🔗	“Horticultural Department, which means…”	The phrase links Garner’s work with the continued life of plants, showing consequences beyond his death.
Closure (Ending Irony) 🚪🫁	“making it easier for us to breathe.”	Ends with life-giving breath, tragically ironic given Garner’s last words, “I can’t breathe.”
Direct Statement 📢	“Is that Eric Garner worked”	Opens plainly, grounding the poem in factual truth before expanding into reflection.
Foreshadowing 🔮	“Horticultural Department, which means…”	Suggests the coming meditation on plants and life before explicitly naming their roles.
Imagery (Sensory) 👁️👃	“pleasant to touch and smell”	Engages senses of touch and smell, immersing the reader in plants’ qualities.
Imagery (Scientific) 🔬☀️	“converting sunlight into food”	Photosynthesis described poetically, showing plants’ vital role and linking Garner to survival.
Irony 😔⚡	Garner helped plants make oxygen, yet he died saying “I can’t breathe.”	This bitter contrast deepens the tragedy and sharpens the critique of systemic injustice.
Metaphor (Life Cycle) 🌱	Plants continuing to grow after Garner’s work	Plants symbolize continuity of life, suggesting Garner’s legacy persists.
Metonymy 🔄	“plants” standing for life and sustenance	The plants symbolize not just vegetation but broader survival and ecosystems.
Personification 🪴💬	“plants… do what such plants do”	Plants are described as having agency, performing tasks, highlighting their active role in life.
Repetition 🔁🎶	“continue to grow, continue”	Reinforces persistence, continuity, and resilience of life.
Rhythm (Soft, Flowing) 🎵🌊	“perhaps, in all likelihood”	The phrasing mimics natural breath and thought, giving the poem a meditative cadence.
Sensory Appeal 👂👃👆	“touch and smell”	Evokes multiple senses, helping the reader feel the gentleness of Garner’s work.
Specificity of Detail 📍	“Parks and Rec. Horticultural Department”	Grounding in exact job detail gives credibility, making Garner human and relatable.
Symbolism 🕊️🌱	Plants = life, breath, hope	Plants symbolize resilience, continuity, and the possibility of healing beyond death.
Tone (Gentle, Reflective) 🕯️💭	Use of qualifiers like “perhaps” and “in all likelihood”	Establishes a meditative, respectful, and mournful tone, balancing hope with grief.

Themes: “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Theme 1: The Humanization of Eric Garner: In “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay, the poet begins not with abstraction but with the assertion of fact: “Is that Eric Garner worked / for some time for the Parks and Rec.” This opening does the sacred work of restoring a man to his humanity. Garner is not merely the tragic figure uttering “I can’t breathe”; he is a worker, a caretaker, a man with “very large hands” that were gentle enough to place life into the earth. Bloom would see in this a gesture of canonization—Gay lifting Garner from obscurity and inscribing him within cultural memory. The juxtaposition of “large hands” and “gently” subverts cultural stereotypes of violence, revealing tenderness where society imposed threat. In this way, the poem enacts what Bloom might call a defense of life against the erasures of history, humanizing Garner through the ordinary sanctity of labor and remembrance.

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Theme 2: Continuity of Life Amid Death: In “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay, the poet meditates upon continuity, the paradox that death is not absolute erasure. “Some of them, in all likelihood, / continue to grow, continue,” he writes, as though insisting that Garner’s labor has not ended. Bloom might recognize here a Shakespearean irony, where mortality is met by persistence, and the legacy of touch extends beyond the man himself. Plants, once rooted by Garner’s hands, do “what such plants do”—house, feed, transform sunlight, breathe forth oxygen. The cycle of natural life continues, even as human life has been violently interrupted. Gay creates a counter-narrative: Eric Garner is not only the man suffocated by the state, but also the man whose past work continues to sustain life. This double vision of tragedy and endurance situates Garner within a continuity greater than the event of his death.

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Theme 3: Interconnectedness of All Beings: In “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay, Garner’s planting becomes an emblem of universal interconnection. “Like house / and feed small and necessary creatures,” Gay writes, extending the human act of planting into an ecological chain of life. Bloom would call this the absorption of the individual into mythic interdependence: Garner’s hands, once planting, are now indistinguishable from the oxygen and sustenance that support “us.” The very creatures that thrive because of his work symbolize the eternal reciprocity of life. The irony is sublime: the man denied breath left behind a world of breath-giving. In this sense, the poem is less an elegy and more a cosmological testament, where the smallest act of labor participates in the ongoing nourishment of existence. Garner’s humanity becomes inseparable from the ecology of being, affirming that his life remains intertwined with the world he once touched.

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Theme 4: Irony and the Tragedy of Breath: In “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay, the poem culminates in its most haunting irony: Garner, whose final words were “I can’t breathe,” had once labored to make it “easier / for us to breathe.” Bloom would identify this as the tragic sublime, where irony intensifies pathos into universality. Breath—the most elemental fact of survival—becomes the axis of loss and of gift. The language is disarmingly gentle: “perhaps… in all likelihood… gently.” This softness collides with the violent truth of suffocation. Thus, the poem’s closing paradox is unbearable in its poignancy: the victim of breathlessness was himself a giver of breath. Gay transforms a political tragedy into an existential meditation, suggesting that Garner’s life, though violently cut short, continues to sustain others. The irony of breath transforms the poem into a lamentation that doubles as an act of cultural preservation and moral indictment.

Literary Theories and “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Literary Theory	Application to the Poem	Textual References
New Historicism	The poem situates Eric Garner’s death within broader socio-political contexts of police brutality and systemic racism. By foregrounding Garner’s work in horticulture, Gay resists reducing him to a victim of state violence, instead restoring historical agency through remembrance of his life and labor.	“Is that Eric Garner worked / for some time for the Parks and Rec. / Horticultural Department…” highlights Garner’s role beyond the moment of death.
Ecocriticism	The poem links human dignity to the natural environment, emphasizing the life-sustaining cycle between plants, creatures, and humans. Garner’s horticultural work symbolizes a nurturing relationship with nature that contrasts with the violence of his death.	“like converting sunlight / into food, like making it easier / for us to breathe.”
Postcolonial Theory	The poem critiques systems of domination and racial oppression that echo colonial structures of control. By memorializing Garner’s ordinary work, Gay challenges the erasure of Black lives and asserts cultural resistance through reclamation of narrative.	The emphasis on his “very large hands” planting life becomes a counter-image to the hands that choked him, exposing power dynamics of race and violence.
Reader-Response Theory	The open-ended “perhaps” and “in all likelihood” invite readers to participate imaginatively, filling in gaps about Garner’s contributions. The poem elicits empathy and communal mourning, making readers co-creators of meaning.	Repetition of “perhaps” and “in all likelihood” emphasizes uncertainty, compelling readers to envision Garner’s living legacy.

Critical Questions about “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Literary Works Similar to “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

• 🌱 “Praise Song for the Day” by Elizabeth Alexander
  Similar in its attempt to find dignity and hope amid collective grief, Alexander’s poem (read at President Obama’s inauguration) balances sorrow with the everyday beauty of survival, much like Gay restores Eric Garner’s humanity through horticulture.
• 🌹 “The Dead” by Billy Collins
  Collins meditates on how the dead continue to “watch us with warm eyes,” paralleling Gay’s notion that Garner’s plants still live and breathe for us.
• ✊ “The Tradition” by Jericho Brown
  Brown, like Gay, weaves together flowers, nature, and the violence against Black men in America, transforming beauty into a counterpoint to brutality.
• 🍂 “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden
  This poem, though more personal, recalls overlooked labor and love in daily acts, echoing Gay’s remembrance of Garner’s gentle, life-sustaining work.
• 🌻 “Poem about My Rights” by June Jordan
  Jordan’s fierce elegy against systemic violence resonates with Gay’s quiet resistance, both refusing to let Black suffering be the final word.

Representative Quotations of “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

Quotation	Context	Theoretical Perspective
🌱 “Is that Eric Garner worked / for some time for the Parks and Rec. / Horticultural Department”	Introduces Garner as a worker tied to nurturing life, grounding him in everyday humanity.	Marxist Criticism – Highlights labor, class, and the dignity of work as social identity.
🌿 “which means, / perhaps, that with his very large hands”	Invokes Garner’s physicality and humanity, countering media portrayals of criminality.	Critical Race Theory – Resists dehumanization by emphasizing embodied presence.
🌼 “he put gently into the earth / some plants”	Suggests tenderness and care, contrasting violent circumstances of his death.	Ecocriticism – Reframes Black identity in relation to ecology and life-giving forces.
🍃 “which, most likely, / some of them, in all likelihood, / continue to grow”	Projects Garner’s legacy into the future through ongoing growth.	Posthumanism – Connects human life to nonhuman continuity beyond death.
🌸 “continue / to do what such plants do”	Suggests natural resilience and unbroken cycles despite social rupture.	Eco-Marxism – Plants symbolize resistance and labor’s enduring productivity.
🐦 “like house / and feed small and necessary creatures”	Plants are sustaining ecosystems, paralleling Garner’s role as provider.	African American Studies – Highlights communal sustenance and care within systemic neglect.
🌞 “like being pleasant to touch and smell”	Evokes sensual imagery, linking Garner to beauty and human joy.	Aesthetic Humanism – Centers beauty, tenderness, and sensory experience as resistance.
🌻 “like converting sunlight / into food”	Plants as agents of transformation, paralleling Garner’s potential contributions.	Materialist Ecology – Frames nature as productive, interlinked with human survival.
🌬️ “like making it easier / for us to breathe.”	Final image resonates painfully with Garner’s last words, “I can’t breathe.”	Critical Race/Ecocritical Intersection – Connects racialized violence with environmental justice and survival.
🌍 Overall arc of tenderness → breath → life	The poem reframes Garner’s life through care, ecology, and legacy.	Human Rights & Social Justice Lens – Positions poetry as activism, memorial, and reclamation.

Suggested Readings: “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay

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